Guest Post: Madeleine Hollenbeck, Undergraduate College Fellow, Elon University

When I began my undergraduate career at Elon University, I knew I had to complete a multi-year research project as part of the Elon College Fellows program. I was nervous at first, as I did not understand how my passions of art and Italian could translate into a formal project to be presented at conferences. I was lucky enough that I was approached by my now-mentor, Dr. Gatti, who encouraged me to pursue an academic career in art history. Four years later I am undeniably grateful for the support Elon has provided me and proud of all the work I have done. My experiences at Elon and my personal relationship to religion has resulted in an exhibition exploring cross-cultural display methods and recontextualizing religious and ritual art. 

Incorporating My Interfaith Life

As I entered my sophomore year of college and thought about what my Elon College Fellows research might look like, I thought of my late grandfather, Reverend Klein. My grandfather was one of the most influential people in my intellectual development. He was given permission by the archdiocese to remain married and be consecrated as a Roman Catholic priest. He was the smartest man I had ever known, and he enjoyed engaging in scholarly conversations regarding my ideas and questions about Catholicism. He encouraged me not to separate explorations of religion from my academics, believing that both were fundamental to my intellectual and individual development. Religion is valued highly in my family, and my grandfather and my aunt, a Jewish cantor, began our familial interfaith traditions such as breaking challah bread over Easter dinner and lighting the menorah next to the Advent wreath. 

First Exhibit and Gathering Feedback

In October 2023, I was invited to create an exhibition for the 10th Anniversary of the Numen Lumen Pavilion, our campus multifaith center that provides opportunities for reflection on and dialogue about religion. This exhibition largely followed traditional methods of museum display. It also provided me with an invaluable opportunity to gather feedback about the way in which the objects were presented. That feedback ended up shifting the trajectory of my exhibition in ways I never imagined. More specifically, it required adopting a community-engaged model for curatorial work rather than a traditional model. It also motivated me to display the similarities and differences between seemingly-diverse religious traditions more successfully. 

Italian Influence

While I made significant progress at Elon, my semester abroad in Florence also marked a major turning point. While researching the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, I learned that the reanimation of religious artwork is both a historical and a contemporary concern for museum audiences. This is especially true when it comes to how, and if, holy objects embody the divine.

Furthermore, Florence museums regularly reanimate religious art as way to promote inclusivity and accessibility while also providing audiences with an interactive experience. This realization was incredibly important in my understanding of religious art. And, as a result, my research now explores how museums can incorporate more inclusive and engaging curatorial practices in their acquisition and display of such art. 

Second Exhibit: Incorporating New Knowledge

My re-curated exhibit is now on display until the end of the academic year as my final Elon College Fellows project. Objects are presented in a way that aligns with their original function. However, the entire exhibition now encompasses my personal experiences with religion, the community feedback I received, and the reanimation processes that I studied.

In addition to presenting objects across traditional religious boundaries, phenomenological approaches are also used to engage a visitor’s conscious and unconscious experiences in a more profound way. QR codes lead to music and videos, allowing audience members to experience the objects in a multi-sensory fashion. Images of the ritual objects actually being used are included as an integral part of the display. The historical context is also simulated, as exemplified by reflected candlelight on a facsimile manuscript.

This entire process clarified that community co-curation is essential when working with ritual art in a cross-cultural context. Although it presented its own challenges, community co-curation ensured the decentering of a singular voice and engaged a wider range of perspectives. In addition, by reanimating these objects, I now recognize the opportunity we have to challenge the privilege of certain works of religious art over others in the museum context.

More recent conversations sparked by this community-feedback approach have now led to some of the works being presented in yet another manner! For example, a Yaka divination board will now be juxtaposed with a medieval sacramentary, and Judaica will be displayed alongside objects associated with Islamic prayer.

Overall Reflection

As I prepare my thesis presentation, I have been reflecting on how my project has developed over time. It has evolved from an Italian-Christian exhibition to one encompassing multiple faiths and cultures. I also learned to engage audiences in various ways — from informal conversations to breakout sessions — and to incorporate both collected feedback and scholarly research. The result is an exhibition that is significantly more interactive and meaningful. 

The audience is not the only beneficiary. I, too, was allowed to move beyond my personal familiarity with religion and my own comfort zone. Elon celebrates religious diversity and multifaith experiences, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed being part of such an engaged campus learning environment.

About the Author

Madeleine Hollenbeck is an Elon College Fellow, earning her B.A. in Art History and Arts Administration with minors in Italian Studies, Classical Studies, and Museum Studies & Public History. Following her graduation in May, she will attend graduate school for Art History. She works at Elon Art Collections as a student exhibit designer, Elon Learning Assistance as an Italian tutor, and the Elon Gender & LGBTQIA+ Center as a student assistant on the gender violence prevention team. She also plans to present her undergraduate research on museums and ritual objects at the National Conference for Undergraduate Research. In her free time, she likes practicing Italian, playing her guitar, reading books, and playing with her cats.